Collapsible box



Dec. 19, 1950 F. BLAIR 2,534,402

CQLLAPSIBLE BOX Filed Jan. l0, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l grd l 'T T-1:1 f /4Z0 /9 L/z lll/J l l l/l/ /l/I/l l//l lll/[1l I Il lll 11 Dec. 19, 1950F, BLA|R v 2,534,402

COLLAPSIBLEBOX Filed Jan. 1o, 1947 `2 sheets-shea 2 'l lll/lll! lEffe/151 ,4 /2

Patented Dec. 19, 1950 UNiTED STATES PATE-.NT OFFICE 'coLLAPsILE Box:Fletcher Blair, At1anta,Ga. n `irlplicationJanuary 10, 1947,5 Serial`No."1211,239

, 1 Thisinvention relates toreceptacles, and more particularly'toreceptacles of the 'collapsibletype An object ci this invention is toprovide a receptacle for holding articles of merchandise which willpermit the ready display of the articles therein irrespective of thequantity or amount of articles in the receptacles.

It is well known that when a box containing food articles is opened anda substantial quantity of the articles removed, the remaining articlescannot be displayed to advantage due to the depth of the box and otherfactors. This invention is designed so' that the dealer may keep thecontents of the box within sight irrespective of the quantity removedand the quantity remaining in the box. This is accomplished by having amovable bottom which can be selectively raised as the contents areremoved so that the contents will be substantially flush with the upperedge of the box.

A further object of this invention is to provide a box having a movablebottom wall which is insertible from the top of the box and willinitially lock into upwardly and inwardly flared anges carried by thesides of the box. The sides of the box are also formed with partlysevered tongues disposed at spaced intervals which are adapted to bepressed inwardly when the box is partially empty so as to support thebottom in raised position. When the box is made out of ber or cardboard,the sides may be collapsed flat and the bottom wall nested into the lidso that the dealer can easily set up the box for use.

I do not mean to conne myself to the exact details of constructionherein disclosed, but claim all variations falling within the purview ofthe appended claim.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a detail top plan of a box constructed according to anembodiment of this invention, the cover being removed,

Figure 2 is .a sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an exploded side elevation, partly broken away and insection, of the box,

Figure 4 is a bottom plan of the box.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral I0 designates generally the sidewalls of a box which in the present instance are shown as being substantially square in transverse section, but elongated from the upper tothe lower end. The side walls I0 of the box are formed from a singlesheet of material which is bent, as shown in Figure 1, and one edge ofone side is formed with a flange or flap I2 which is adapted to underlapthe ad- Y 2 jacent side wall and to be secured thereto by cement orother suitable fastening means.

The lower edges of the side walls lil are formed with upwardly andinwardly extending flanges or bottom locking means I3. These flanges orbottom locking means I3 form a V-shaped keeper I4 at the bottom of thebox within which the lower edge of a bottom wall is adapted to be lockedas will be hereinafter described.

A bottom wall generally designated as I5 is adapted, when the box isinitially lled, to engage the locking or supporting anges I3. The bottomwall I5 includes a plate I6 which is formed at the outer marginal edgesthereof with downwardly and outwardly inclined anges I'I. The flangesI'I are adapted to engage in the keepers I4 so that the bottom wall I5will be held against downward and outward movement.

After a portion of the contents of the box have been removed, the bottomwall I5 is adapted to be pushed upwardly and is held in its adjustedupward position by means of a plurality of tongues or tabs I3 which arestruck from each side wall II! and are adapted to be bent inwardly on anobtuse angle, as shown in Figure 2. There is one tongue or tab I8 ofsubstantial width carried by each side wall so that there will be fourpoints of support for the raised bottom wall. When the bottom wall I5 isin its raised position, the anges I1 thereof will engage between thetongues or tabs I8 and the inner sides of the side wall. A cap or topmember I9, including a top wall 20, and depending flanges `2I is adaptedto engage over the upper ends of the ends of the side walls.

With a box as hereinbefore described, when the box or receptacle isinitially iilled, the bottom wall will be disposed at its lowermostposition, locked between the anges I3 and the lower ends of the sidewalls Ill. After a portion of the contents has been removed, the bottomwall I5 may be pushed upwardly just above the lowermost series of tabsor tongues I8 and these tabs then pressed inwardly and the bottom WallI5 permitted to drop downwardly until the iianges Il thereof engagebetween the tongues or tabs I8 and the side walls I6. The raised bottomwall will thereby be held in its raised position so that the top of thereduced contents will be substantially Iiush with the top'of the box.There may be as many series of tabs or tongues I8 as may be desired sothat the bottom wall may be periodically raised to bring the contents ofthe box to the top thereof in order that the cusomer will not get theimpression that the box is empty. A box as hereinbefore described isparticularly desirable for use in merchandising food articles such ascrackers, cookies or the like so that the customer will not gain theimpression that the contents of the box are not suitable or of standardquality, rather than of broken and undesirable quality, particularlywhere customers dipinto a box of this kind to remove the contents afterthe box has been substantially emptied.

I do not mean to conne myself to the exact details of constructionherein disclosed, but claim all variations falling within the purview ofthe appended claim.

What I claim is:

A receptacle of the kind described comprising a body formed of aplurality of angularly related side walls, an inwardly and upwardlyinclined ange on the bottom edge of each of said side walls, a bottommember including a horizontal wall having side edges spaced inwardlyfrom said side walls and depending outwardly and downwardly inclinedflanges carried by said side edges, the bottom edges of Said bottommember anges being adapted to slidably bear against said side walls andto engage between said side Walls and said side wall flanges when saidbottom member is in its lowermost position, upwardly and inwardlyextending tongues struck from said side walls and spaced from the bottomedges thereof, said bottom member anges being adapted to engage betweensaid tongues and said side walls when said bottom member is in a raisedposition.

FLETCHER BLAIR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,076,156 Schierse Oct. 21, 19131,443,207 Blount Jan. 23, 1923 1,680,539 Hadi Aug. 14, 1928 2,005,245Stoner June 18, 1935 2,166,265 Ressinger July 18, 1939

